Practical thinking on growth, acquisitions, capital, and transitions — written for owners who are serious about building lasting value.
Research consistently shows that fewer than 20% of businesses that go to market actually sell. The reasons are predictable — and entirely preventable. Here is what separates the owners who close at premium multiples from those who walk away with nothing.
Most business owners spend decades building their company and less than six months preparing to sell it. That asymmetry is the single greatest driver of failed exits and undervalued transactions in the lower middle market.
Exit readiness is not a checklist. It is a state of organizational and financial health that makes your business attractive to a sophisticated buyer — one who will pay a premium precisely because they can see what they are getting and trust that it will continue to perform after you leave.
The owners who achieve the best outcomes share three characteristics: they started planning early (typically 2–5 years before their intended sale), they built a business that could operate without them, and they understood their value drivers well enough to protect and enhance them in the years leading up to the transaction.
The best exits are not found — they are built, over years, with intention.
Growth is a symptom. The underlying cause is almost always a strategy that was built for a smaller, simpler version of your business. Here is how to recognize the signs — and what to do about them.
Understanding how buyers think is the most underutilized advantage in any business sale. We break down the acquisition process from the buyer's perspective — so you can position your business accordingly.
SBA financing is one of the most powerful tools available to business owners — and one of the most misunderstood. Here is what lenders actually look for, and how to position your business to get approved.
In a competitive talent market, salary alone is not enough to retain your best people. Deferred compensation plans offer a powerful, tax-efficient way to align your key executives with the long-term success of your business.
There is a moment in every growing business when the owner becomes the bottleneck. Recognizing that moment — and knowing how to move through it — is the difference between a lifestyle business and a scalable enterprise.
Most acquisition value is created or destroyed in the first 90 days after closing. Here is the integration framework HarborNu uses with clients to protect the value they paid for and position the combined business for growth.
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